


A Taste of Humanity

by Werosmys



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Adam Milligan is a Winchester, Archangel Adam Milligan, Archangel Dean Winchester, Archangel Sam Winchester, Human Castiel (Supernatural), Human Gabriel (Supernatural), Human Lucifer (Supernatural), M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, reverse!verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-24
Updated: 2020-06-05
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:50:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23819440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werosmys/pseuds/Werosmys
Summary: Gabriel Shurley hasn't seen his father in years, he hasn't seen his older brother in years. He lives alone with his little brother, Castiel. They make do with what they have, until a crazy stranger claiming to be an "angel of the lord" breaks into their house and tells them their dad is alive.--Supernatural Reverse!Verse fic crossposted on Wattpad weekly.Haven't watched past the middle of season 12. Took a break and never went back until now, so I'm rewatching from the start. As such, Jack is unlikely to make an appearance, sorry folks.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Gabriel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 7
Kudos: 41





	1. Daddy Issues

"You- You _always_ do what Father orders, Dean. Just once, can't you ask him _why_?" Samuel stormed past his brother, stopping in front of him. "Just once," Samuel tried, "Please?"

"Sammy..." Dean stopped, looking away from his younger brother. "You have to understand, I-"

"I'm _trying_ to understand, Dean! I really am, but really, think about it. Why is Father asking you to go to Earth? Without even giving a reason? Isn't that- oh, I don't know, a little questionable?"

Dean only hesitated for a moment, and shook his head. "No." Samuel opened his mouth to respond, but Dean had disappeared in a flurry of feathers.

"Jerk," he muttered to himself, starting the walk back the way he came.

"Bitch." his brother replied in his head, he was thousands of miles away, but his voice was clear as day. Samuel rolled his eyes.

\--

"Cassie?" Gabriel glanced away from the TV. His little brother was staring out the window, again. "Seriously, little bro, this is the eighth time this week. Get back to bed."

His little brother merely hummed, not moving from his perch by the window. Gabriel sighed, getting up off the couch and walking up behind his brother. What was outside that window anyway? "Cas, I'm serious. Bed. Now."

"I'm 19." his soft-spoken brother didn't turn from the window, "You're not my dad, Gabe."

Gabriel pinched his nose, shaking his head. First Luce, now this? Damned if his family wasn't dysfunctional. "You're waiting for Luce?" Gabriel asked, quietly. He didn't expect an answer.

"Actually," Castiel tore his eyes away from the window for just a moment, but didn't meet Gabriel's gaze. "I'm waiting for dad."

Gabriel was stunned silent. Great parenting, Lucifer. _'We'll tell him when he's ready_ ', well now the kid was 19, their older brother had disappeared, and their dad was never coming back. And how was Gabriel supposed to break it to him now? That little kid was an adult now. "Cas-" Gabriel felt his breath catch. His brother's eyes had returned to the window, and Gabriel couldn't bring himself to continue. "Just," he paused, "try to get some sleep, tonight. Please."

Castiel looked down, if only for a moment. He felt his older brother retreat, and quietly responded. "I will. Thank you, Gabriel."

Gabriel was snoring on the couch. Castiel was gazing out the window, lost in thought, when he spotted a figure making its way in their direction. "Dad," he breathed, glancing in his brother's direction before dashing out the front door, racing toward the figure. "Dad!" he shouted, unable to restrain himself. He threw himself at the figure, who grunted in surprise. Arms wrapped tightly around the man, Castiel found himself crying, something he hadn't done much of recently. He pulled away, and only then, realised-

"Uh," The scruffy looking man looked sheepish, "I'm not your dad, kid." Castiel should have known, the man was only an inch or two taller than him, and while he couldn't make out what he looked like in the dead of night, he knew his father didn't sound like that.

"I-" Castiel squeaked, eyes wide. He'd just hugged a complete stranger. He turned tail and ran back in the direction of the house, locking all the doors and waking his brother.

"What is it, Cas?" Gabriel groaned, trying to slap his hand away, "I thought I told you to go to sleep."

"Gabe, there's a stranger outside-"

His brother was awake in an instant, practically tripping over himself in an attempt to make it to the window. The stranger Castiel had seen was closer now. A shadowy figure, advancing fast. Gabriel gulped, closing the blinds. He double checked the locks on the doors and ran downstairs to break into his dad's old gun cabinet.

"Wait, Gabe!" Castiel shouted from the top of the stairs, "Don't just- _shoot_ an innocent man! Gabe!"

Gabriel ignored his brother, picking the lock on the metal locker and pulling out an old hunting shotgun. His hand hovered over a handgun, but he shook his head. No way was he giving little Cassie a gun.

\--

"I could've come along, I _should've_ come along."

"You think Dean can't handle himself down there?" Adam raised an eyebrow at his older brother, "Brother, I hope you realise that's near-blasphemy."

"Please, Adam, he's our brother. We should be down there, with him. Don't you feel even _slightly_ left out?"

"No, Samuel," Adam tried to comfort his older brother with a hug, but Samuel pushed him away. 

"Well, _I'm_ going to go find him. He's just going to get himself in trouble."

" _You're_ just going to get yourself in trouble." Adam retorted, "Fine. I'll go with you."

"I-" He could tell Samuel was about to snap at him, but the archangel shook it away, "Alright, come on. I know where he touched down, at least."

Samuel and Adam followed the faint string tied to Dean's parting jab, it led them to the heart of America. Lebanon, Kansas. "Why here?" Samuel murmured. Adam shrugged, starting down the road. "Adam!" Samuel caught up to his little brother, "How do you know this is the way he went?"

"I don't." Adam cracked a small smile, "But I figured, if we just pick a direction and go, well..."

"Yeah, it's what Dean would've done," Samuel chuckled, "Never much for plans, Dean."

Adam hummed in agreement, and the brothers walked down the several mile stretch of road in contented silence.

\--

"Who the hell are you?!" Gabriel came back upstairs to see the stranger lounging on the couch. _His_ couch.

"You know," the stranger shrugged, "It's almost funny how ironic that was. Come, Gabriel, sit."

"Ironic- wh- You can't _invite_ me to sit in my own house! I'll sit if I damn well please!"

"Do you?"

"Do I what?" Gabriel kept the gun trained on the stranger, as best he could, at least, because his hands were shaking like nobody's business.

"Do you want to sit or not, Gabriel? I... advise you do."

"Fine, but only because it'll be easier to kill you point blank."

"Your brother is quite the gracious host," the stranger told Castiel with a smirk. "Put that away before you hurt somebody." the stranger didn't look back at Gabriel, but the gun disappeared out of his hands.

"Who- _what_ the hell are you?"

"Again, again with the Hell. Please, Gabriel, just let me talk."

"And how do you know my name!?"

"Would you believe me if I said your brother told me?"

"No."

"Fair enough," the stranger shrugged, "My name's Dean."

"Dean...? Gabriel waited for a last name.

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Yes. Dean."

"You don't have a last name?"

Dean looked over at Castiel, who returned the look in turn, the two locked in what appeared to be a silent conversation.

"Hello? Hello! Earth to Cas? Dean?"

"I must have given the wrong impression," Dean stood up. "My name is Dean, and I am an Angel of the Lord." Thunder cracked, even though the skies were clear, and lightning illuminated the pitch black sky. The lights flickered, and the shadows of two giant wings painted the living room.

"See," Castiel murmured as everything died down. He had moved across the room to stand beside his brother, "I knew there was something out there to wait for!"

"You were just as scared as I was!" Gabriel hissed in return. The angel had returned to lounging on their couch, a beer in his hand that hadn't been there before. 


	2. Angels Aren't Real

"Did you feel that?" Samuel turned to his younger brother with newfound light in his eyes, "That was Dean, no doubt about it!"

"Yeah, and his power ripples for miles. How do we know where it even came from?"

"Well we could start by flying closer, follow me." Samuel disappeared, and Adam reluctantly followed. Why had he agreed to come, anyway?

The archangels reappeared in the middle of a dense forest. "I can feel him," Samuel whispered. "He's close, C'mon Adam."

"Are you really sure we should be- I- I mean, Father must have given him some sort of mission, right? There's got to be a reason we weren't, er, 'invited'."

"After thousands of years, Father decides to send someone down to earth," Samuel spoke quietly as they moved, "You can't help but be curious, even you Adam. Something's happening. Something big."

"Something... big?" Adam parroted. The two came up on a small house in a clearing. "There he is, Sam. Can we go?"

"Yes, you can." Dean appeared behind his younger brothers with no warning besides a flap of his wings.

"D-Dean!" Adam nearly fell over turning around. "It was Sam's idea!"

Dean rolled his eyes, "Of course it was, Little Sammy never knows when to stop, does he?"

Samuel shot his older brother a glare, "Don't call me that. It's Samuel."

"You have no issue with Adam calling you 'Sam'," Dean raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"Because he doesn't treat me like a _fledgeling_ , Dean." Samuel growled, "You get nickname privileges when you finally see me as your equal."

Dean flopped onto the ground with a sigh, "Really, Sammy-"

"Samuel," Sam interjected.

" _Samuel_ ," Dean continued, "Now shouldn't be the time to fight, all things considered."

"And what _things_ are we considering, here? Oh, wait, I forgot, it's a secret, from Dad, isn't it. Direct orders, huh?"

"Shut your pie-hole, Sammy." Dean growled. His green eyes flashed in the starlight, and Sam quietly sat in the grass by his brother. Adam sat as well, eyes wide. "As I was saying, well- I'll tell you back upstairs. Which is where I want both of you as soon as our little talk is over. I need to talk to these humans, they're important."

"Says who?" Sam grumbled, and Dean just shot his brother a look.

"You _know_ who. Give me just a few more minutes. I promise, I'll tell you two everything, but you have to let me do this first."

"Fine." Samuel disappeared, and Adam followed quickly, silently. Dean shook his head and stood up, brushing the dirt off his pants. Within a second, he was back on the couch in the Shurley residence.

\--

Dean had disappeared, and Gabriel took the opportunity to stage a coup. "Cassie, you don't seriously believe this guy, right?"

Castiel deadpanned at his brother, _how was the kid so good at that?!_ "Gabriel, were you not paying attention? He made half our light bulbs break-"

"I hope he's going to replace those... or at least pay for them." Gabriel interrupted.

"He literally has wings," Cas tried to continue.

"Trick of the light," Gabriel shrugged. "Not impossible."

"Well, how about the fact that he _disappeared_ in front of our eyes?!" Cas was getting uncharacteristically exasperated, "No smoke, no mirrors, Gabe these aren't the kind of parlor tricks you do in town."

Gabriel was about to respond when the 'angel' popped back in, lounging on the couch as if nothing had happened. "So," Dean glanced between the brothers. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here."

"That's not even half of it..." Gabriel muttered. Dean cracked a small smile.

"I like you, Gabriel. You remind me of," Dean's eyes clouded. Castiel and Gabriel exchanged looks as the angel in front of them shook away whatever thoughts had invaded his mind. "Anyway, it's about your dad."

"Dad?!" The brothers exclaimed in unison. It was like the two had swapped places. Suddenly little Castiel was the chatty one, and silver-tongued Gabriel had clammed up.

"And, to a lesser extent, your brother." Or to a greater extent, but that was a whole other can of worms. Better to let the brothers worry about their dad than their brother, all things considered.

"Luce?" Gabriel glanced up. The poor guy looked completely exposed. Castiel seemed more-or-less unfazed at the new information brought to light, leaning on the back of the couch, waiting for more information.

"Your father is safe, at least." That was news to both brothers, evidently, and elicited a reaction from Gabriel.

"Impossible," he hissed, tears pricking at his eyes, "I- We _saw_ him-"

"Saw him what?" Castiel turned to his brother, tilting his head slightly. Dean watched, took a sip of his beer, and waited patiently to continue.

"Luce and I-" Gabriel choked on his words, "We watched him _die,_ Cas. We watched dad die right in front of us."

"But- Dean just said-"

"It's impossible, Cas." Gabriel turned his attention to Dean, "I don't care _who_ you are, I don't care _what_ you are. Get out of my house. Now."

Dean raised an eyebrow. Did he really want to fall out of this human's good graces? "I see I'm not wanted," Dean made a show of leaving. Maybe Castiel would follow him. "I'm sorry, Gabriel. I pray next time we can meet on lighter terms. You seem like the kind of guy I wouldn't mind being friends with." Gabriel didn't speak, just watched as Dean left the house.

Dean waited for an hour, but Castiel never followed. Shame. With a powerful flap of his wings, Dean found himself back in Heaven.

\--

Gabriel had changed. He forbade Castiel from leaving the house after Dean showed up. He was clearly trying to maintain his normal, devil-may-care composure, but there was something different behind his hazel eyes. Something Cas hadn't seen since he was a kid.

"Is- Is this about dad? Or Luce? Or Dean?"

Gabriel turned away. He had to be strong for his brother, right? "It's... nothing. I just don't want you messing about with strangers, Cas." He allowed himself an attempt at a chuckle, but both brothers knew he wasn't convincing anybody.

"Alright..." Castiel hesitated, trying to keep the conversation going. He was going to lose another family member if he wasn't careful. "Wait, Gabe, are you, uh, going to the store?"

"Hm?" Gabriel turned, the clouds behind his eyes had passed, he looked almost normal. "Oh, yeah, I was going to go grab some groceries. Need anything?"

"Could you, uh, could we make burgers tonight? Please?"

Gabriel couldn't suppress his smile, if there was anything Cas loved... "Sure thing, bro." Maybe they could just forget that entire night had ever happened. Maybe.


	3. Eye Sex

"Well?" Samuel was waiting for him, impatiently. Dean grumbled, pushing past his brother and into the large home that the three archangels shared. It was more of a castle, really, or a mansion. They sure as hell didn't need all that room, but hey, it made parties that much better.

"I tried to talk to them." Dean flopped onto the overly-ornate sofa. It was not, to any extent, comfortable. He found himself missing the ratty old couch in the Shurley home. Just a twitch of his finger later, and he found himself sinking into an exact replica, though decidedly less dirty.

"See, I told you," Samuel hissed to their youngest brother. "One night on Earth. That's all it takes. The whole feng-shui of the room is ruined now."

"I can hear you, Sammy." Dean grumbled.

"Really? Then care enlightening us on what happened downstairs?"

"They didn't want to listen."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Shut it, Sammy." Dean rolled over, finally sitting up. His brothers hesitantly joined him on the sofa. "You want to know the big news or not?"

"Yeah," Samuel rolled his eyes, brushing off the cushions before he sat down.

"There's a new prophet."

If the other archangels had been drinking something, they would have spat it out. Looking like a deer in headlights, Adam finally spoke up. "Another prophet?!"

"That's what I said, yeah?" Dean popped a beer in for himself. Two more appeared on the table, but neither of his brothers made any move to grab them. "Chuck Shurley. Well, 'Carver Edlund'. He's in a bit of a bind, actually, but it's really nothing we can't deal with. Those were his kids I was talking to. They didn't even know he was alive."

"Sound familiar?" Sam muttered under his breath to Adam who shot his brother a warning glare. 

"Zip it, Samuel." Dean grew hostile, his six wings unfurling from his back as he shot a glare that could kill, if he wanted it to, at his little brother.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, Dean. No more commentary." Sam drew away from his older brother. "Promise."

"Anyway," Dean sighed, his wings folding up but staying out. "Their brother, Lucifer, is also apparently in leagues with the devil."

"You didn't think to mention that first?!" Sam couldn't help but speak out. To his surprise, Dean just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'd rather ease you into it, if it's all the same, Sammy. I-" Dean stopped, spacing out. Adam and Sam exchanged confused glances.

"Dean?" Adam started, tentatively. He waved a hand in front of his older brother's face. "Dean, you in there?"

"Dean?" Sam joined in. He was ready to snap his brother back into it by force, but that wasn't necessary, as Dean had come-to just as he'd summoned the bat.

"I- uh- if you'll excuse me," Dean looked flustered, flabbergasted, in simple terms, confused. He disappeared off the couch with no warning except the rustle of wings.

Sam and Adam exchanged looks once more. "What..." Adam hesitated, "was that?"

"I'm not entirely sure."

\--

"I don't know if this'll work," Cas knelt beside his bed. For the first time in forever, somebody other than him had mentioned his dad. He needed answers, and if Gabriel wouldn't give them, then...

“I don’t even know how to start this, uh,” Castiel closed his eyes, pressing his palms together, “So, I guess, Dean, the, uh, the angel, if you’re out there... somewhere, I’d like to talk. About my father. Please, um, call at your... earliest convenience?” Cas opened one eye, glancing around his room. Nothing. He felt stupid. Getting up, he turned to sit on his bed and found himself face to face with the mysterious angel.

"Ah!" Cas fell back onto his bed, startled, more than anything. "I didn't think you'd actually- uh, show up. Please forgive me!"

Dean merely chuckled, moving to sit beside Cas. A beer popped into his hand, and he offered it over. "Want one?"

"Oh, no. I'm too young."

"Something else, then? Don't let me be the only one drinking here."

"I'll, um, take a glass of milk, if you have some, I guess." Not even a second later, Castiel was holding a glass of ivory white milk. He took a sip. Just like how Luce used to make it.

"So, Cassie, you wanted to talk about your dad?"

"Yeah..." Castiel looked at the archangel, expectantly.

Dean blinked. Damn, those blue eyes were sharp. He hoped he hadn't been staring too long. "Y-Yeah," What was he doing? He was a timeless celestial being, how was this 19-year-old kid affecting him like this? "Your dad. He's, uh, alive," Dean cut himself off, not sure how to continue. Luckily, Castiel picked up the conversation.

"Wh- Why?" Castiel furrowed his brow, looking away from the angel. "Why would he just leave us like that?"

Dean felt a pang in his heart. This was just like explaining to Sammy why their own Father had disappeared. "You..." Dean sighed, "don't want to know. Trust me."

Castiel looked like he wanted to protest, but refrained. "And my brother? Luce?"

"He's," Dean paused, was he really going to put all of this on this kid's shoulders? Gabriel wouldn't listen to him, he really had no choice. "You believe in me, right?"

"What?" Castiel turned back to the angel, tilting his head slightly to the left. "What's that got to do anything with it? Is Luce okay?!"

"He's... well, he's not dead. But," Dean sighed, "If you believe in me, if you believe in _angels_ , then you should know there's demons out there too."

"Demons?" Castiel's expression was blanker than it probably should have been. "What do you mean?"

"Demons, Cas." Dean thought about what he was going to say for a moment. This was definitely a lot for the poor kid. "Like, from Hell."

"And Luce...?"

"He, well, he-" How should he put this? "Basically, he made a deal."

"With a demon."

"An especially powerful one. We don't know many of the details, but we do know that your brother is headed down a dangerous path.

Castiel sat in silence for several minutes. Dean stayed next to him, watching him think. He could tell the kid was conflicted, angry, sad, and all he wanted to do was give him a hug and comfort him. He still didn't know _why_ he wanted to, it just felt right. Dean eventually settled for wrapping one of his wings around Cas, a silent form of comfort that eased the strange feeling.

Finally, Cas spoke. "And why did you come here? The other day?"

"I wanted to speak to your brother, really." Dean didn't move his wing, but he did avert Castiel's stare. "I figured he'd take it better than you, and, well, I didn't want to put undue stress on you."

"Hah," Castiel shook his head, "Gabe wouldn't have taken that well at all. He probably would've tried to kill you."

"Lucky me he doesn't know how, I guess." Dean finally stood up, tearing himself away from Castiel.

"But... why?" Cas looked like he was about to reach out to keep Dean from leaving. Dean glanced down at the human. "You wanted to talk to my brother, you wanted to tell him all of this stuff, but why? Closure? Good grace?"

Dean couldn't help but chuckle, "Good grace," he muttered under his breath. "No," he spoke louder now. "We were hoping for his help, actually. We didn't know that... well, we thought you would know where your dad's at."

"You mean you don't even know where he is?" Dean could feel irritation coming in waves off of the boy, despite his outwardly stoic tone. "And who's we?"

Dean sighed. This kid asked too many questions. "We. The Host of Heaven. The, uh, the angels."

"What do the angels even want with my dad?" Castiel's internal emotions were finally beginning to appear on his face. A twitch of an eyebrow here, a quirk of his lip there. He was fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

"I," Dean thought for a moment. Should he really be telling this boy as much as he was? If the demons found out... "He's very important to us. Trust me. I wouldn't have answered your prayer if he wasn't..." Dean paused, Castiel was still very much riled up, but one question couldn't hurt. "You wouldn't happen to know where your dad could possibly be? Any sort of sentimental location?"

Cas scoffed, avoiding Dean's gaze. "Me? I barely knew him. He disappeared when I was seven. Gabe and Luce knew him much better, but good luck talking to either of them. Lucifer's been gone for years, and Gabe... well, you saw how he got the other day." Castiel seemed to be calming down.

"Thanks, anyway." Dean nodded. "Try talking to your brother about this. If he knows anything about your dad, anything at all, tell him to get in touch."

"Yeah, what's your number?" Cas reached over to his nightstand and came up with a pen and piece of paper.

"My... what?" Dean furrowed his brow at the kid. Humans were really evolving too fast even for him.

"Y'know, phone nu- oh." Cas blinked. "Sorry, I forgot, the whole, uh, 'angel thing'. How do we...?"

"Think, Cas." Dean let out a breathy laugh. "Just pray. I'll be here."

"O- okay." Cas nodded, the pen and paper forgotten in his lap. He glanced away for just a moment and the angel was gone. He couldn't help but wonder if all of this was just some crazy hallucination.


	4. Rebellious of Daddy's Plan

"I'm going to get to the bottom of this," Sam had been pacing up and down the hallway for hours. Dean had clammed up upon his return, hiding away in his room, no doubt trying every tactic he could to get in contact with their Father. "With or without Dean's help."

"What are you talking about?" Adam had been watching as his older brother wore a trench into the hallway floor. "We know even less than Dean does! What do you even plan on doing?"

"Easy." Samuel stopped, facing his brother. "We go talk to anyone who ever knew the guy."

"Which one?" Adam tilted his head. "The prophet? Or the one making deals with the devil?"

"Which do you think, Adam?" Samuel narrowed his eyes, "The _evil_ one. He must be stopped."

"Don't you think-"

"Dean's MIA, Adam. Dad's missing, or dead. Probably both. We've gotta take things into our own hands. What Dean doesn't want to deal with, we will."

"What's all this 'we'?" Adam muttered. "I'm not going to help." He looked up at his brother. "You're acting out again. We need a plan, not some brash action. Why can't we just give Dean some time and trust?"

"Because," Sam stressed, "He's going to chase the prophet. I know him, Adam. He's going to chase the prophet because it'll get him a hell of a lot closer to Dad than some wayward soul will. We have to deal with this 'Lucifer' character before things get out of hand."

Adam thought it over. Why was it always picking sides with these two? With a sigh, he finally tore his gaze away from Samuel. "I'm sorry, brother. I really am, but for all we know, Dean has a plan. Dad left him in charge, Samuel. I'm not going to take my chances messing up his plan to deal with these humans, no matter how long it takes."

Samuel didn't look angry. Just sad, and that almost hurt more. "I... understand, Adam." Samuel shook his head, "I hope we're all just getting excited over nothing, I really do. If you ever... well... you know where I'll be, I guess."

Adam watched his brother leave. Moments later, he heard the door shut, and he looked up at the door to Dean's room. Radio silence. Dad only knows if he'd end up regretting his decision.

\--

Gabriel did not expect to wake up to an FBI agent at his door. He was half-dressed and a little hungover, and he answered the door without thinking. His head was pounding and his mind was foggy. Of course, that all cleared up when the fed flashed his badge.

"Good morning, Mr. Shurley. My name is Agent Wesson, I-" Samuel blinked as the door was slammed in his face. Damn humans. Awkwardly, he put the fake ID back in his coat pocket and waited. He could sense Gabriel Shurley dashing around the house, doing what? He didn't know, but not a minute later, the door was open again, and he was invited inside.

"S- Sorry about that!" Gabriel looked up at the fed, gesturing to the couch. "Please, take a seat." He didn't miss the look on the agent's face when his attention was directed toward the couch. "Or don't!" he added, hastily. "It really, doesn't, uh," Gabriel trailed off, laughing nervously. "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

"I'm here about the disappearance of Lucifer Shurley." Samuel watched Gabriel's flustered expression quickly turn.

"What- I wasn't... aware there was an investigation. He ran away from home. He's an adult, he can do what he wants." Gabriel hadn't meant to get so accusatory with the agent, especially considering the guy was a good head and a half taller than him.

Sam shook his head. "We just need to know where he went." We? The agent was alone. Was he speaking with the royal 'we' or just the FBI in general? Gabriel tried to refrain from joking as he answered.

"Well, I don't know, your Highness." Mission failed. "I wonder," if any sentence was going to get him locked up... "why didn't the feds care this much about my father, huh? Where was the interest when he up and died in the middle of the road? Did nobody care about the house full of kids he left behind? Was my dad's life not worth any more than a few lines in the paper and a crappy cross on the side of the road? My brother was eight, he was- Luce- I-" Gabriel heaved, leaning against the arm of the couch. He'd worked himself up he'd yelled at a federal agent. He was going to get arrested. Castiel was going to be alone... "I... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Apologies," the agent didn't even seem to care. Gabriel looked into his eyes for the first time since he'd arrived. Nothing. It was as if he hadn't even been paying attention. "You have to understand, that is... out of our control. This is a much more pressing issue."

"Of course it is," Gabriel spat under his breath. "Well don't talk to me about it-" He had to stop himself from swearing at the fed. "The barkeep is about a thousand times more likely to know something about Luce than I am."

Samuel nodded, turning to leave. Something twinged in the depths of his grace. He glanced back at Gabriel, who was glowering at him from the arm of the couch. It seemed his line of questioning was not well appreciated.

Castiel sat at the top of the stairs. He heard the door close, and Gabriel finally exhaled. "Good riddance," he could hear his brother groan. Perhaps today was not the best day to ask about dad. But who was that guy? And why was he asking about Luce?


	5. Lies and Deceit

Dean didn’t know what to do. He barely knew what he was doing. “Is that it?” he asked the walls of his room, desperately trying to sense any sign of his Father. “I followed your orders! I talked to the Shurleys! What now?!” Dean slammed his fist on the desk, splintering it. “Dad! Please, something, anything. Do you want me to follow up? Find the prophet? He’s flying under the radar, it’s practically impossible!” His voice broke, and he slumped against the wall, slowly sagging to the floor, his head in his hands. “I... can’t...”

“Dean?” a voice from outside his door. Adam. How long had he been out there? What did he hear?

“Adam?” Dean cleaned himself up, cracked the joints in his back, and tried to look as though he wasn’t having a complete breakdown. He opened the door. “What’s up?”

“It's... Sam.”

“What did he do this time?” Dean sighed, stepping out of his room. He and Adam walked down the corridor to the main living space. “Nothing stupid, I pray...”

“I tried to stop him,” Adam turned around, sitting on the arm of the couch, “I really did, but-”

“But...?” Dean’s wings ruffled. Adam could tell he was about to be on the receiving end of a bombshell, if he wasn’t careful.

“He...” Adam sighed, he could take it. Whatever happened to ‘don’t shoot the messenger?’ “He ran off. Something about chasing down Lucifer Shurley.”

“Dammit!” Dean hissed, turning away from Adam. “Dad-” The oldest archangel glanced up at the ceiling speaking barely above a whisper, “What am I supposed to do?”

Adam blinked. That wasn’t how he expected things to go. He tentatively took a step towards his older brother, but Dean’s wings flared up. “Don’t.” Dean started, quietly, “Just... let me handle this.” And just like that, Dean was gone.

“Why am I always stuck in between their fights?” Adam groaned, falling backwards onto the sofa. “This sucks.”

\--

“Where are you going?”

Castiel slowly turned to his older brother. Gabriel looked, for lack of a better word, exhausted. “Uhh, work?” he tried. 

“You still have a job?”

“I don’t know, considering I’ve been holed up in here for the past week.” That came out harsher than he’d intended.

“At least let me drive you,” Gabriel sighed, running a hand through his hair. “It’s my fault, I got you tied up in my mess.”

“Th- Thanks, Gabe.” Castiel knew better than to refuse. Maybe his backpack was a little too full for ‘work’ but Gabriel hadn’t seemed to notice. His mind was clearly someplace else. “I’ll be in the car, then.”

Gabriel’s car was old, beat up, Cas was honestly surprised it still ran. Slipping into the passenger seat, he took a deep breath, taking in everything around him. The crack on the windshield, the worn, dirty steering wheel, the cracked leather upholstery. This car had seen many years in the Shurley family, that much was certain. It smelled like the old pine tree his dad used to hang on the rearview mirror on road trips, or the fast food that he and Gabe would eat in the back while Luce drove them home from school. He was going to miss it. 

“Hey, bro.” Cas was pulled out of his thoughts when Gabriel climbed into the driver's seat with a smile. “Listen, I’m... I’m sorry, about overreacting. I shouldn’t have been such a- a- a helicopter mom, or whatever.”

“It's fine,” Cas chuckled. He watched as Gabriel started up the car, eyes trained on every one of his brother’s features, committing them to memory. 

“Cas? You’re kinda freaking me out.” 

“What?” Cas blinked, he must have been staring. They were already on the road, maybe a minute or two out of town. “Oh. Sorry.”

“Y’alright?” Gabriel glanced away from the road to look at him, and Cas shook his head.

“I’m fine. Just... lost in my thoughts, I guess.”

Gabriel didn’t seem to believe him, but didn’t press it. They were pulling up on the convenience store. Just another minute at most. Cas felt his throat close up and tears welled at his eyes. This was it. 

“Here we are, Cassie.” Gabriel was always so upbeat, even through everything. He’d always been there for him. Cas didn’t want his older brother to see him crying, hell, he could barely leave him in the dark for so long, but it was the right thing to do. 

“Gabe, I-” Cas took a shaky breath, quickly turning around toward the backseat of the car to get his bag, but mostly to keep Gabriel from seeing his tears. After a few seconds, Cas continued. “I, I love you, Gabe.”

“Aww, sweet, bro.” If Gabriel knew something was up- which he definitely did, the man was much smarter than he made himself out to be- then he didn’t share. He did, however, put a hand on Castiel’s shoulder, rubbing his back slightly. “But really, you’re going to be late for work. I’ll see you at 8?”

It took everything in him not to break out bawling and hug his brother like there was no tomorrow. Not trusting his voice to be steady, Cas simply nodded, finally turning back around with his bag and getting out of the car. He walked up to the glass doors and he could see Gabriel wave in the reflection. Resisting the urge to turn around and run back to the car, Castiel slowly opened the door and went inside. He turned around just as Gabriel drove off, and quickly headed toward the break room, where he finally collapsed onto the dirty armchair in tears. 

Now Castiel didn’t actually have work today. And after his 30 minute breakdown, he finally picked himself up and began stage two of his plan. He’d deliberately come in on a Friday because he knew it was just Mark for most of the day. He knew he’d break down, and he didn’t want anybody around who would freak out. Mark doesn’t question things, mostly because he cares more about scrolling through Twitter than his job, but it worked out for Cas. He grabbed some things from the break room, scrawled out a hasty letter of resignation, and left through the back door.


	6. The Runaway

“What am I doing? Oh my god, what am I doing?” Castiel was in a ditch on the side of the highway. He’d been walking for hours. The sun was going down and he heard some sort of animal in the woods not too far from him. He’d stopped to take a break, and all at once his adrenaline crashed. Castiel Shurley had run away from home, he’d run away from all he’d ever known, and why?! Because some ‘angel’ told him his dad was still alive? Why did he ever think it’d be even remotely possible to find him? 

“What on earth are you doing out here?”

“What the hell?!” Castiel jumped up and spun around. Speak - think? - of the devil (angel?) and he shall appear. Dean was standing before him, looking confused more than anything. “What are you doing out here?!”

“That’s... a long story. What’s important is that we’ve gotta get you back home. Who knows what could be out here trying to kill you.”

Dean advanced, hand out. Cas didn’t know what to expect, but he sure as hell knew he wasn’t going back home. He’d dug his grave. Time to lay in it. “No!” Cas dodged the angel’s outstretched fingers. Dean blinked in surprise.

“No?” He parroted, turning to face Cas. A wave of dread passed over the runaway as he made eye contact with Dean. Had he made the angel angry? This was it. He was going to die. Without ever seeing his father or his brothers ever again. He screwed his eyes shut. 

“Okay what are you doing now?” Cas reopened his eyes to find Dean right in front of him, arms folded. “I’d like to think I know a lot about humans, more than my brothers anyway, but you remain... an enigma.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Cas turned, breathing a sigh of relief. “Now if you excuse me, I’ll be on my way.” The angel didn’t try to stop him, didn’t try to send him back home. Castiel walked as confidently as he could away from the ditch, and down the road that, hopefully, would lead him to his father.

“You’re going the wrong way.” It was only a few minutes later when he heard Dean’s voice right behind him. Cas nearly had a heart attack, turning to face the angel with as much anger as he could muster. 

“Why are you following me?! And what do you mean, ‘the wrong way’?”

“Well if you’re going to be rude...” Dean turned, walking away.

“Wait!” Cas jogged to catch up, “Where are you going?”

“To find your father.”

“That's where I was going!”

“I gathered that,” Dean chuckled. The two walked side by side in the grass by the road. It was pitch black out, but Dean dodged debris and holes as though it were daylight. Cas was having a hard time keeping up, tripping over every other root. 

“So you know where he is?” Cas prompted, almost falling into Dean as his foot caught in another hole. 

“I’ve got an idea, yeah.” He glanced back at Cas, who was still steadying himself. “You don’t have a light?”

“Oh- um...” He couldn’t remember if he’d thrown a flashlight in his bag, which was practically bulging with clothes and food. He really didn’t want to dig through it. 

“It’s fine,” Dean shrugged. Cas watched the angel snap, and suddenly Dean was holding a small flashlight. He handed it to Cas. “Come on, this’ll be quicker if we fly.”

“F- Fly?!” Castiel shied away from Dean’s outstretched hand. The angel paused, but made no move to retract his hand. 

“It’s faster, Castiel. Trust me.”

“And... you know where he is?”

“Yep.” Dean dropped the conversation there, and the two lingered in silence, practically frozen in time, for just a few moments.

“O...kay.” Castiel tried his hardest to relax, his entire body tensed and he closed his eyes. The only warning he got was the rustling of feathers, and then it was as though his entire body was rocketing through space. He landed, dizzy and disoriented, on a hardwood floor. It smelled-

Castiel’s eyes flew open at the sound of his brother’s voice. Gabriel was hugging him like there was no tomorrow, and Dean was in a heated conversation with the FBI agent from the other morning. Wrestling out of his brother’s grip, Cas stormed up to the angel, shoving him against the wall. “What the fuck?!” Cas shocked even himself with the explosion. “You lied to me! You- You-” He was coming off of the spike in his adrenaline, and Dean shrugged Cas off as though he weren’t even an inconvenience. “I trusted you. I don’t know why,” Cas growled, “But I did. And now I’m right back where I started.” Castiel turned from the angel, not wanting to hear a response. He shoved past his older brother, and stomped all the way to his room slamming the door and locking himself in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to thank everyone for the comments! They really make my day.  
> Sorry for the shorter chapter, but I got moved on to full time as a result of this whole pandemic thing (I work at a grocery store... _yay_.) I've got big plans (knock on wood- last time I 'had big plans' for a story, I ended up cancelling it 15 chapters in... F in the chat for the SMPLive community) so I hope y'all stick around.  
> I'm not really one to add 'editor's notes' or commentary, so these notes will be few and far between, but I just wanted to recognise the comments and kudos I've gotten even this early in the story, and say thank you, since I have a bad habit of not responding to comments.  
> Once again, thank you, everyone!


	7. Bastard Angel

“He ran off. Something about chasing down Lucifer Shurley.”

It took Dean a second to process. Sam had left, without consulting him. He hadn’t even left a note. Sam had disappeared on a wild goose chase to find the closest thing this world had to an antichrist, and he hadn’t told a soul. “Dammit.” He hissed, turning away. That idiot! Every demon on earth was going to be on his tail as soon as they caught wind of this! Sam was capable, but it would take a miracle, to...

“Dad...” Dean thought for a second. Should he ask for help? Should he ask his father to look out for Sam? No. That was his job. “What am I supposed to do?” Dean asked, voice hardly above a whisper. 

He could feel Adam moving closer, and his wings raised instinctively. He was on edge. “Don’t.” That came out harsher than he wanted it to. “Just... let me handle this.” Dean didn’t want to lose another brother. And somebody would have to look over Heaven while he was out. Dean let out another sigh and found himself at the Shurley’s. “Whoops,” he muttered. He’d meant to say goodbye to Adam, maybe give him a hug, but his wings had a mind of their own. 

It was only when Dean pulled himself out of his thoughts did he register the scene in front of him. Sam was in a suit, sitting awkwardly on the sofa, while Gabriel was bawling into his shoulder. “Help me...” Sam hissed in enochian, and Dean coughed, mostly to alert Gabriel to his presence.

“You!” Tears turned to rage when Gabriel saw him. Wiping at his face, the human stood up and advanced on Dean. “You’re that... bastard angel! What did you do with my brother!? Where is he?” 

“Cas?” Dean raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean, ‘where is he’?”

“Oh don’t act like you don’t know, dick.” Dean and Gabriel were nose to nose now. “I went to pick up Cassie from work and he was gone. I know you had something to do with it! Where is he?!”

“Uhh...” Dean blinked. He still had zero clue what the human was going on about. 

“Excuse me, sir.” Sam piped up. Gabriel looked over at him, any trace of anger immediately disappearing. “But I’m going to have to consider you as a, uh, as a suspect. So...” Sam turned to Gabriel, “could you excuse us for... questioning?”

“Of course, Agent Wesson. Call if you need me.”

As soon as Gabriel was out of earshot, Dean broke out in laughter. “Agent Wesson?” He laughed, “What’s with the getup?” 

“I’m trying to get a lead on the demon thing. What makes you care all of a sudden?”

“I care when you leave without hardly a word on a fool’s errand.” Dean sighed, moving to sit on the couch. “What you’re doing is dangerous.”

“Wha- what i’m doing? You’re looking for a prophet on your own! You ever think maybe if a demon sniffs up your trail that they could find him before we do?”

“And you intend to distract them by offering yourself up as bait.” Dean raised an eyebrow. “Why were you even here?”

Sam held up a small brick-like thing. “He called me. I thought he might be ready to talk, or he’d have a lead on Lucifer.”

“Oh, so that’s a phone...” Dean narrowed his eyes at the thing. “But he didn’t did he?” He directed his attention back at his brother, who shook his head. 

“Just wanted to ‘file a missing person’s report’ on his brother. Unfortunate, really. He’s had three brothers run away now.”

“Wait- three?” Dean blinked, there was Lucifer, Gabriel, Cas, and their dad. No fourth brother... “Do you mean their dad?”

“Nope. Before any of this shit ever happened they had an older brother, Michael. He ditched as soon as he was 18. Went no contact. They don’t even know if he’s alive. Their dad apparently freaked out and took down any evidence he even existed. They had a... weird relationship.”

“Hm...” Dean glanced around. There weren't many photos of the brothers, just a few frames hanging on the wall bordering the kitchen. Only one of them featured their father, and there was no photos of any of the boys younger than 10. “So you think this ‘Michael’ character...”

“No, or at least I doubt it.” Sam answered Dean’s question before he could finish it. “Like I said, they haven’t spoken to him since Gabriel was a kid, way before Castiel was even born. I doubt he knows anything.”

“And if he does?”

“Its a dead end, Dean.” Sam shook his head, “I’ve got a much more solid lead from the barkeeper in town. They say he was headed to Wyoming.”

“And the dad?”

Sam rolled his eyes, “You have a one track mind, Dean. I’ve got something on the literal antichrist, and you refuse to listen!”

“Did you find anything or not?” Dean groaned. He did not want to fight his brother, again. 

“I looked in the paper for any record of his death. He’s buried in the local cemetery.”

“Supposedly,”

“Okay, so you’re telling me this man fakes his own death, to do what? Get away from his family?”

“I’m telling you that a prophet of the lord made a deal with a demon nine years ago, and he’s out there somewhere just waiting to get mauled by hellhounds.”

“Some prophet.” Sam rolled his eyes. 

“We’ve got to find him before that happens, Sam. The clock is ticking. Did you get anything from Gabriel? Hopes? Dreams, perhaps? Something he always wanted to do, but maybe he couldn’t because his family was weighing him down?”

“The only thing Gabriel said about his father was that he wrote a lot.”

“See! Why couldn’t you have told me that sooner?! Did we really need this whole back and forth thing? Now I know I’m looking for a writer.”

“Because that narrows it down. And how are you so confident?”

“Because unlike you, I spent my free time watching the humans. And I’ve seen a demon deal or two in my day. I’d bet my angel blade that Chuck Shurley is off somewhere with a couple of bestsellers under his name.”

“At least I have a location.” Sam grumbled, folding his arms. 

“May I...?” Gabriel knocked on the wall behind them. “I’ve... calmed down. I’m sorry, Dean. I-”

“Don’t worry about it, Gabriel.” Dean stood up, “I was just leaving.”

“Wait-”

Dean turned, Gabriel was looking down at the floor. His face was still streaked with tears, but he wasn’t actively crying. 

“Can you... use you, you know, angel powers.. to, uh, find him? Wherever he is? And bring him home? Please?”

Dean exchanged glances with Sam, who shrugged. “I can try,” Dean hesitated. Without a prayer there was little for him to latch on to. He couldn’t exactly pick Castiel out from the 7 billion other humans on earth. But there was something. “I’ll... be right back.”


End file.
